Zucchero Zu And Co. CD

Italian pop star Zucchero has never hidden his love of American music. In fact, on much of this album--a collection of his artistic collaborations dating from 1988 to 2004--his appreciation for blues and jazz, in particular, is on full display.

The most striking song on ZUCCHERO & CO. is "Dune Mosse," which pairs the singer with legendary jazz trumpeter Miles Davis for a dreamy track that tips its hat to Davis's revered KIND OF BLUE era. Zucchero's blues leanings are revealed on a number of tunes, most notably on "A Wonderful World" (with Eric Clapton) and "Diavolo in Me (A Devil in Me)" (with Solomon Burke), the disc's most energetic song. Regardless of the collaborator, Zucchero's full-bodied vocals stand out, particularly on emotive pop songs, including his cover of "Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" (with Vanessa Carlton). For fans of American pop that are unfamiliar with Zucchero, this dynamic set is an ideal introduction.

Recording information: Fonoprint, Bologna, Italy; Hit Factory, New York, NY; Holophonic Village, Rovigo, Italy; Milano, Bologna, Italy; Paramount Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Studio Davout, Paris, France; The Plant Studios, Sausalito, CA.

Director: Lester Snell.

Photographer: David Eustace.

Arrangers: Zucchero; Luciano Luisi; Corrado Rustici; Leonardo Rosi; Massimo Marcolini; Marco Canepa; Lester Snell; Robyx.

Personnel: Zucchero (vocals, acoustic guitar, electric piano, Mellotron, synthesizer); Zucchero; Eric Clapton (vocals, guitar, electric guitar); B.B. King (vocals, guitar); Vanessa Carlton (vocals, piano); Fher, Maná, Andrea Bocelli, Paul Young, Sergio, Solomon Burke, Sting, Dolores O'Riordan, Luciano Pavarotti, New Orleans Gospel Choir, Chance (vocals); Arthur Miles (spoken vocals, background vocals); Ruggero Robin (guitar, acoustic guitar); Jeff Beck (guitar, electric guitar); Dominique Miller (acoustic guitar, 12-string guitar); Massimo Marcolini (acoustic guitar, dobro, programming); Luciano Luisi (acoustic guitar, piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond b-3 organ, keyboards, synthesizer, ARP synthesizer, programming); Massimo Feltham (dobro); David Sancious (piano, Fender Rhodes piano, Hammond b-3 organ); Peter-John Vettese (organ); Toby Baker (keyboards, programming); Pino Palladino, Polo Jones, Gaetano Diodato (bass instrument); Benny Rietveld (bass guitar); John O'Brien (programming); Aida, James Thompson, Michelle John Douglas, Simona Pirone (background vocals); John Lee Hooker, Lisa Hunt, Macy Gray, Sheryl Crow, Cheb Mami (vocals); Corrado Rustici (acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming); Haylie Ecker (violin); Mark Feltham (harmonica); Miles Davis (trumpet); Michael Urbano (drums, percussion); Steve Gadd , Zachary Alford, Giorgio Francis (drums); Mino Vergnaghi, Sharon White, Lawrence Johnson , James Thomson (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: Devon Rietveld; Mick Guzauski; Richard Rainey.